Forum on mental health, opioid deaths in Sullivan County

U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro hosted a forum Sept. 5 at the Monticello Fire House on mental health and substance use disorders. A particular subject that came up was the opioid crisis in the U.S. and how Sullivan County was especially hard hit. It was noted that mental health and substance use treatment providers in Sullivan County have been working hard to keep pace with the growing demand for their services. Statistics show that Sullivan County has the highest rate of opioid deaths in New York state and has consistently been low in the rankings for residents having overall good health.

According to the latest statistics from the New York State Department of Health’s Opioid Data Dashboard, Sullivan County has experienced 63.7 opioid deaths per 100,000 population compared with 21.8 deaths per 100,000 in the Mid-Hudson region and 21.5 deaths per 100,000 population throughout New York state. In Dutchess County, the death rate from opioids per 100,000 population is 35.7. It is 26.9 in Orange County, 38.2 in Putnam, 12.9 in Rockland, 31.4 in Ulster and 13.8 in Westchester.

“The issues facing Sullivan County today aren”™t new,” Molinaro said. “For years, we”™ve seen consistently high rates of drug overdose deaths and a lack of access to mental health and substance use treatment services in the area. But we are making strides. We recently unlocked new federal resources through having Sullivan designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).”

Molinaro, who was elected Dutchess County Executive in 2011 and served until resigning to take his seat in Congress this year, had developed a Dutchess County Stabilization Center that offered walk-in care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.

“Today”™s participants share the same goal: to save lives and ensure anyone struggling with a mental health or substance use disorder can access the treatment they need,” Molinaro said of those attending the forum. “We”™ll get there if we continue working together to expand treatment options and maximize the HIDTA resources.”

Attending the forum were: Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek; State Sen. Peter Oberacker; State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther; Monticello Mayor George Nikolados; Sullivan County Acting District Attorney Brian Conaty; Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff; Chairman of the Sullivan County Legislature Rob Doherty; Sullivan County Legislator Alan Sorensen, Sullivan County Coroner Alan Kesten; and Sullivan County EMS Coordinator Alex Rau. A number of organizations sent representatives, including: Sullivan 180; the Sullivan County Drug Task Force; Garnet Health; Crystal Run Healthcare; Sullivan Allies Leading Together (SALT); and Families Against Narcotics.